Could You Repeat That? CCIX

I have read SO MANY BOOKS in the past six months. 

  The Jasmine Throne, Tasha Suri
"You will not understand this, Princess Malini. But there is a subtle pain the conquered feel. Our old language is nearly lost. Our old ways. Even when we try to explain a vision of ourselves to one another--in our poetry, our song, our theater masks--we do so in opposition to you, or by looking to the past. As if we have no future. Parijatdvipa has reshaped us. It is not a conversation, but a rewriting. The pleasure of security and comfort can only ease the pain for so long."

Lady Derring Takes a Lover, Julie Anne Long
"Lady Derring," he said, with grave, ironic pity that made her expression immediately alter to one that suggested she'd like to do him a small violence.

Hello Stranger, Lisa Kleypas
"Touch me again," Ethan growled, "and I'll kill you with this."
West drew his hand back instantly, his gaze falling to the utensil in Ethan’s grip. "That's a spoon."
"I know."

The Ministry of Time, Kaliane Bradley
I could have written to you without including them; after all, the things that happen between lovers are lost to the work of history anyway. But I wrote it down because I need you to bear witness to it. He was here, by and with and in my body. He lives in me like trauma does. If you ever fall in love, you'll be a person who was in love for the rest of your life.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold, Toshikazu Kawaguchi
A moment ago she had been grasping at straws. Now she had a piece of straw in her hand, and she wasn't going to let it go.

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me, Mariana Zapata
I'd loved the hell out of her before I knew better, and that thought made my heart ache for kid-Vanessa, who hadn't known any better for a while.

These Burning Stars, Bethany Jacobs
They fought how Chono prayed: with reverence for the particulars of form and function, and when Esek tried to overpower them by crowding close, all she saw was a whirl of spinning wood before the stave cracked against her shin.

Love Hacked, Penny Reid
He was looking at me--half desperation, half determination, half animosity.
That's right. He was looking at me 150%.

How the Dukes Stole Christmas, Tessa Dare, et al
"We've discussed this. Murdering the duke is not a plan."
"Of course it isn't," Kat replied. "Murdering the duke is an objective. A plan requires specifics."

Hugo Awards 2025

I remembered to become a member this year in order to vote, huzzah! Which means I had access to the voting packet (AKA the giant packet of PDF books), which meant I was able to review many more things than I can on my own (given affordability and library waiting times).

Also, ALSO, WorldCon is in Seattle this summer, so I'll theoretically get to be there in person when they announce the winners!

Could You Repeat That? CCVIII

I have read many books in the past six months. Many. Many. Books.


How to Solve Your Own Murder, Kristen Perrin
I glance at the bedside cabinet, and there is in fact a heavy brass candlestick there. Why didn't I grab that when I needed a weapon? Did I learn nothing from all those rounds of Clue with Jenny?

Birding with Benefits, Sarah T Dubb
"There's something about realizing that the birds have been here all along, and all I have to do is learn how to pay attention. It's sort of like reading, I think, looking for those little gems in the text, the words and phrases that call out to you, weaving together the story."

Silent Parade, Keigo Higashino
"The important thing is this: What you believe to be the truth and the actual truth are not necessarily the same thing. Until you know the difference, you can't make the choice that will decide your fate."

Killer Kung Pao, Vivien Chien
"I hate to ask this, but do you think that June is guilty?"
Her eyes slowly met mine, and there was a sadness in them that hurt my heart. "The stories do not sound good," she repeated.

Camp Jupiter Classified: A Probatio's Journal, Rick Riordan
Today was super fun, except for the near-death experience.

Donut Fall in Love, Jackie Lau
@RyanKwoksFather followed only one "person" other than Ryan. Cookie Monster.

Liars, Sarah Manguso
Without meaning to, I began to restrict the material in my diary. I had become unable to articulate certain feelings. And so my body became their cultivation dish.

A Lady by Midnight, Tessa Dare
Given a choice between watching Miss Kate Taylor weep and offering his own liver to carrion birds, he would have had his knife out and sharpened before the first tear rolled down her face.

Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro
Even at the time, I realised this couldn't be right, that this interpretation didn't fit with the rest of the lyrics. But that wasn't an issue with me. The song was about what I said, and I used to listen to it again and again, on my own, whenever I got the chance.

The Maid and the Crocodile, Jordan Ifueko
"The point of these lessons is that you learn to use your voice--"
"I am using my voice now, oga: Shut your mouth and listen," I snapped, which stunned him into blank-faced silence.

How to End a Love Story, Yulin Kuang
He stares at the woman on his porch, whose hidden layers he's just starting to unravel, and he gets a sharp, strange sensation in the back of his lizard brain that he might be in some danger here, which is ridiculous.

Oscars 2025 Nominations

It's that time again! Films marked in blue are ones I watched prior to the nominations and green are those I watched afterwards. For the few I decided not to watch, you'll find them struck through. As per usual, I've arranged them in the order of my preference.



Best Picture

1. Anora
2. Dune: Part Two
3. Nickel Boys
4. The Brutalist
5. I'm Still Here
6. A Complete Unknown
7. Conclave
8. Wicked
9. Emilia Perez

And the one I chose not to watch, since horror isn't my bag:

• The Substance

Could You Repeat That? CCVII

Bits from the last 70 books I read (including a bunch of graphic novels and cookbooks).

Shards of Honour, Lois McMaster Bujold, x2
"He wanted to know what I saw in you. I told him..." he paused again, and then continued almost shyly, "that you poured out honor like a fountain, all around you."
"That's weird. I don't feel full of honor, or anything else, except maybe confusion."
"Naturally not. Fountains keep nothing for themselves."

Provenance, Ann Leckie
"So I follow. I am afraid, I do not want to be out of the world, it is terrible to be out of the world. But I look, I see. I hear, I listen. You are very strange, Ingray Human, but you do not seem to live in endless pain and sorrow. No, you swim here as though this were the world, and live your very strange life as though all was right and well."

Valley Verified, Kyla Zhao
"What's Catan?" Zoe interjected.
There was a beat of silence. Then Austin said, "Please tell me you're kidding about not knowing the greatest game in the world."

New Native Kitchen: Celebrating Modern Recipes of the American Indian, Freddie Bitsole & James O Fraioli
If you asked me to make you a dish, I'd ask what kind of wine or beer you like, and how much cream you add to your coffee. These defining bitter flavors tell me all the information I need to know about what your favorite foods might be, and how you like them prepared. This is what I mean when I say cooking is a way of communicating.

A Refiner's Fire, Donna Leon
Brunetti often succumbed to the temptation to joke about the excessive beauty of the city, but tonight he was silenced by it and could do no more than look upon it with wild surmise and turn towards home again.

Could You Repeat That? CCVI

I did not travel as I'd intended this summer, nor did I do anything that would merit great acclaim. What did I do, instead? I read, friends. I read so many books.


Children of Ruin, Adrian Tchaikovsky
It is the right and proper way of intelligence to be blown on the winds of subconscious whimsy. He does not need to know the deeper workings of his own mind, indeed he cannot, any more than he can know the precise positioning of his arms: the data is simply too complex to be consciously grasped.

The Ninth Metal, Benjamin Percy
"A steak knife magically flew across the street and into his parked SUV and hit him right in the heart. Weirdest thing, right?"

Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me, Aisha Harris
This moment gave me the kind of publicity many people dream of and spend an inordinate amount of time and effort attempting to manufacture; meanwhile, I just stumbled into this attention merely because I said I wanted Santa Claus to be a penguin.

Teach Me, Olivia Dade
Annette patted his hand, then removed hers. "Cause her pain, and we'll make quite certain you regret it."
"So much regret." Alfred offered him a genial smile. "The sort of regret that would cause a man to rethink all his critical life choices to that point."

Count Your Lucky Stars, Alexandria Bellefleur
"Livvy, relax. The doctor says I'm healthy as a horse."
She pursed her lips." Are we talking Seabiscuit, or the Red Pony?"

The Red Scholar's Wake, Aliette de Bodard
It was one thing to make the best of a bad situation--to be civil with pirates and try to build relationships even though all she could see, most days, was Ngà's pale face; it was quite another to boldly go kissing the leader of a pirate banner.

Shattered, Kevin Hearne
There is no way to perform Druidry without knowing how first. To even attempt it would be dangerous. I am beginning to think that much of what these people are doing in the name of convenience might be dangerous also. Magic does not happen free of cost.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen, KJ Charles
"Joss, he's a baronet. You can't tup a baronet."
"Someone's got to."

Hook, Line, and Sinker, Tessa Bailey
She pressed her lips into a line.
Fox narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you doing that thing with your mouth because you're trying to trap all the psychological terms you want to throw at me?"
Her expression turned miserable. "Yes."

Hugo Awards 2024

Hey-o, the Hugo Awards nominations came out on March 29, 2024. Which was earlier than I expected, but given the scandal of last year's awards, I imagine the procedures for this year's are SPOTLESS.

I totally forgot to become a member for this year's voting, which I only realized three days before ballots were due, so. I did not vote this year, and also did not get the handy voters' packet--which means I didn't get to read some stuff, alas!

In any case, as per usual, media I consumed before the nominations came out on March 29, 2024, are highlighted in blue and stuff I read afterwards is in green. (Purple are those I had already obtained but hadn't read yet.) I've ranked the media in the order I would have voted for them. I did not rank media I didn't consume, and I've included handy snippets from the stuff I did consume.

Since I'm posting this after the winners have been announced, I've opted to bold and underline the actual winners, while preserving how I chose to rank them.

Could You Repeat That? CCV

The Blood of Olympus, Rick Riordan
The twins locked eyes and had a silent argument. Apparently Artemis won. Apollo heaved a sigh and kicked his broken ukelele across the stage.

Something Fabulous, Alexis Hall
"I never said you were infirm. You're very firm. Almost...excessively firm, really."
"I understand you're trying to be reassuring, but stop it at once."

Trese, Volume 5: Midnight Tribunal, Budjette Tan & KaJo Baldisimo


Now & Again: Go-To Recipes, Inspired Meals + Endless Ideas for Reinventing Leftovers, Julia Turshen
It could be as simple as meatballs with spaghetti, with maybe a little garlicky toast to sop up the sauce or a tangle of peppery arugula to add something green and to balance the whole thing. Each of those things is made better by the relationship it has with its friends. By assembling all of them, the meatballs and the salad and so on, I'm not just making food. I'm making a meal with a clear point of view and a story.

Could You Repeat That? CCIV

Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins, x2
We manage the darkness as we did in the arena, wrapped in each other's arms guarding against dangers that can descend at any moment. Nothing else happens, but our arrangement quickly becomes a subject of gossip on the train.

Cackle, Rachel Harrison
I wonder how much of a woman's life is spent this way. Enduring. Waiting for enjoyment or, fuck it, death.

Bronze Drum, Phong Nguyen
It was unlike even the most powerful memento mori, when the certainty of death comes upon us like a cloud obscuring the sun. Life became weighted with numinous meaning, and that meaning, to last the rest of her days, was revenge.

Advika and the Hollywood Wives, Kirthana Ramisetti
"When nothing else in the world is predictable, you can anticipate when each story beat will happen. If you know what kind of movie you're watching, like a rom-com, you can almost time it to the minute. I like that. Nothing else in the world feels more comfortable to me than knowing the rhythms of a movie."

Heroine Worship, Sarah Kuhn
I should have grabbed something with less potential baggage attached, but I didn't actually own any other rings. Rings got in the way of punching things.

Oscars 2024 Nominations

Oscars time! And man oh man, I honestly owe the number of nominated films I've watched beforehand largely to my Cinemark Movie Club membership, because I have often watched one, if not two, movies per weekend. I've also become a devoted listener of The Big Picture podcast, which has nudged me towards films that weren't showing in theatres in my area yet. (I live SO CLOSE to Seattle, and yet am I willing to drive out there to see films that haven't gone into wide release yet? NOPE.)

As per usual, I have colored the names of films I watched before the nomination announcements on January 24 in green, and films I watched after the nominations in blue. Films I opted not to watch are struck through. (Sorry, Society of Snow, but I'mma skip the trauma and cannibalism.)

Also as per usual, I've re-ordered the films according to how I would rank them, and included clips that I felt were relevant. I opted to just not rank films that I didn't watch for whatever reason. And some of these categories were REALLY HARD, y'all. Just gorgeous stuff all around, I must say.

The 2024 Tournament of Books is Nigh

It's time for the 2024 Tournament of Books! In perhaps a surprising turn of events, I did not read ANY of the books on the shortlist before the shortlist was announced. Usually, by chance, I read a couple of the longlist books that make it to the next round, but not this time, I guess?



In any case, out of the eighteen books on the shortlist, I read all but one of them. (I skipped one due to content ooginess.) Listed below you'll find them in the order I read them; I haven't ranked them at all. I'm not sure how I would this time around? Rather than commentary, I've given you two pull quotes from each of the books I read.

They're all worth a read, though YMMV depending on your mood.

Media Consumed 2023

I really like the format I used for 2022, so I'm just gonna continue on with that for now.

250 Books | Six Cities Visited | 48 Comics | Four Concerts and the Like | Five Conferences and Festivals | 107 Movies | Four Museums and Landmarks | Twelve Readings and Talks | 0 Sports Matches | Six Theatre Productions | 848 TV Episodes

LET'S. EFFIN. GO.

Could You Repeat That? CCIII

So it turns out I haven't posted one of these since September. Whoops? This includes most of my Hugos reading, in fact, plus a bunch for the Tournament of Books.

Tess of the Road, Rachel Hartman
Tess clasped a hand to her heart (she felt it beating even through Florian's jacket) and wished with all her might. Not for the classical piratical standbys--vengeance, fame, or fortune--but that she might shed the past like a skin and walk on with nothing, empty and new.

Snacking Cakes, Yossy Arefi
Okay, okay, raisin haters--you win.

Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak, Charlie Jane Anders
Rachel never told Yiwei she loves him before. Maybe she should have picked a more romantic setting, like a moonlit beach, instead of a mutilation cave.

Akata Woman, Nnedi Okorafor
"Seeing is not the same as caring," the magician replied. "You're American; you should understand that more than anyone."

Saga, Volume One, Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples, x2

Miscellaneous Movie Moments XCVI (September & October 2023)

August is traditionally the "we don't know where else to open these movies" dumping ground of studios, and November is the "last chance to get in the big awards nomination window" timeslot, so September and October are generally pretty chill. (Except for horror movies, but I do not watch horror movies, so.) I found myself a good batch to watch, though!

Showing Up | Bottoms | The In-Laws | A Haunting in Venice | The Creator | Dumb Money | Killers of the Flower Moon

Miscellaneous Movie Moments XCV (August 2023)

That's right, it's BARBENHEIMER time. Here are my quick reactions to the…*counts*...twelve films I watched in August.

Haunted Mansion (2023) | Spy Kids | Oppenheimer | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem | How to Blow Up a Pipeline | Blue Beetle | The Last Voyage of the Demeter | Meg 2: The Trench | Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story | Golda

Miscellaneous Movie Moments XCIV (July 2023)

Once again, I am way behind on my movie updates! I'm trying to catch up before the end of the year, so I won't be writing a ton about any of these. Expect a lot of GIFs, though!

July was a pretty busy month for me, between a conference and a family wedding, so I didn't see a TON. But among them were some good 'uns!



Past Lives | Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken | Joy Ride (2023) | Mission: Impossible--Dead Reckoning, Part One | Kung Fu Panda 2 | Kung Fu Panda 3

Hugos 2023 Voting!

It's Hugos time again! I became a Hugos voter a few years ago after the whole mess before they adjusted the nomination and voting process. It's actually super-easy to become a voting member--if you pay for your annual membership (it's been about $50-60), you get a packet of most of the books and stories that have been nominated (not all of them--providing copies for voters is not required of the nominees; publishers just happen to be quite generous most of the time). And then you get to vote!

There's also the associated possibility of actually, like ATTENDING Worldcon, but that's an additional cost I haven't taken on as yet. (But if they have it in Seattle in the near future, as some have suggested....)

As the host of Worldcon this year is in China--Chengdu, specifically--there have been some interesting hurdles that I won't really grumble about. It's worth noting, however, that because of the location, there was a slightly different body of voters/nominators than before. (Worldcon, in my recollection, has most often been hosted in English-dominant locations.) Which is neato, in that there are many more folks of Chinese nationality (not just descent, mind you--in recent years, the diversity of nominees has been markedly increasing) nominated. Between that AND a short window for nominees to provide materials (I think a couple of the zine/podcast nominees specifically noted in their packets they only had eleven days), that also meant not everyone was able to get their materials translated in time.

Or: There were several nominees who were only able to share their materials in Chinese and not any translations in English. (And, to be fair, vice versa: Several of the nominees who shared things in English only added apology notes.) Some nominees could only share part of their materials in both languages; some folks who shared translations confessed they had to rely on AI/machine-translation in order to get it done before their deadline. In those cases, you could almost feel the absence of nuance. (In the case of one short story, that's almost the point--in the Astounding category, Maijia Lu's story "Left" is specifically about how the pictographic basis of Chinese language means some elements of physics can be expressed more wholly than in phonetic-based scripts like English.)

I find this interesting and not irritating, though YE GODS, can you imagine how I feel, having multiple stories and books in my possession that I cannot read? My heart, she is breaking. But also, this is a cool problem to have, no? From my perspective, anyway.

Could You Repeat That? CCII

Sambal Shiok: The Malaysian Cookbook, Mandy Yin
Shark fin soup was always about the different flavours and textures, in particular the addition of a small final splash of black vinegar before tucking in. It was essentially luxury hot and sour soup!

How to Walk Away, Katherine Center
And voila! An internal motivation! Doing something that would make my parents happy or give Ian job fulfillment might blur my newly drawn lines, but there was nothing blurry about getting the fuck out of here.

Cook Like a Local, Chris Shepherd
Little-known fact: Hang out in a dive bar in Houston around midnight, and you might see a couple walk in with tamales, either on a tray or in a warming bag. They'll pass from guest to guest, uttering "Tamales? Tamales?" until they get a taker who will trade them six bucks for a dozen....Nobody really knows where they come from, and it's probably not something the health department has signed off on, but it's part of the fabric of the city, as normal as a hot dog cart on a New York City corner.

Yours Truly, Abby Jimemez
First of all, if you think for one second that I can be flipped with cupcakes and handwritten apology letters, then you are absolutely correct.

The Nordic Baking Book, Magnus Nilsson
If you are interested in baking pine bark bread, the first step is to chop down a pine tree in early spring.

And...

This is, by the way, normal procedure in Sweden. You are not given cake by your colleagues for your birthday, you instead give them cake. I think this is an expression of the collective Swedish passion for practical arrangement aimed at avoiding awkward situations. By bringing the cake yourself you always get your favourite cake on your birthday, and you collectively defuse any pressure for others to remember everyone's separate birthdays.

Miscellaneous Movie Moments XCIII (May & June 2023)

I love summer movie season. I love living ten minutes away from a movie theatre. What a time to be alive!

The Hating Game | Big George Foreman | Love Again | The Green Knight | Five Easy Pieces | Fast X | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | You Hurt My Feelings | The Flash | Transformers: Rise of the Beasts | The Little Mermaid (2023) | Elemental | Asteroid City | No Hard Feelings | Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Could You Repeat That? CCI

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, Shehan Karunatilaka
All stories are recycled and all stories are unfair. Many get luck, and many get misery. Many are born to homes with books, many grow up in the swamps of war. In the end, all becomes dust. All stories conclude with a fade to black.

Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance, Alison Espach
"Tell me, exactly what you are thinking right now," Billy said. "Don't hesitate."
I was thinking that there was nothing better in this world than to discover someone who was weird in exactly the same way I was weird. To be weird and then loved for it.
"I'm thinking how strange it is that flies have to have sex in the air," I said.

Dinosaurs, Lydia Millet
In the dark, when nothing else was sure, the soaring tree sheltered you. Almost the only thing you had to see before you slept.
How you came not from a couple or a few but from infinity.
So you had no beginning. And you would never end.

The Violin Conspiracy, Brendan Nicholaus Slocumb
And finally--finally!--Tchaikovsky, of course. Let's be clear here: Ray may have looked like a Black American, but secretly--secretly!--he was Russian. Secretly he'd spent his life ladling borscht and nibbling pelmeni. Vodka, not blood, surged through his veins. He was melancholy because it was always winter in St. Petersburg, and jovial because Muscovites are a good-hearted people who love to laugh. He killed the Tchaikovsky. He left the Serenade melancoloique bawling its eyes out onstage. He bowed.

Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution, RF Kuang
He had a sudden, very clear vision of the tower in ruins. He wanted it to shatter. He wanted it to, for once, feel the pain that had made possible its rarefied existence. 'I want it to crumble.'
Victoire's throat pulsed, and he knew she was thinking of Anthony, of gunshots, of the wreckage of the Old Library. 'I want it to burn.'